Salt Toxicity/Water Deprivation In Mini Pigs

Salt toxicity/Salt poisoning/Water deprivation

WATER….WATER…..WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Although a certain amount of sodium in the body is needed for it to function properly, too much can cause serious issues in pigs. Do NOT give your pig massive amounts if there is any indication that your mini pig has gone without water for an extended period of time.

My pig will not drink water! We hear this many times. Here are a few suggestions to change this….

Change the type of water you offer them. Get one of those filtration pitchers or some bottled water. If they drink that, I would suggest you change the water you drink as well.

Add a bit of juice to the water, as small of an amount as possible, which they will still drink. Juices, like apple, pineapple, or grape are always a hit but you must take into consideration the amount of sugar and adjust the overall diet as necessary. Juices like lemon, cranberry, or orange are wonderful because they are also acidic and are great for the overall health of the pig. The same adjustments must be made to the overall diet. You can also try the flavored water drops designed for bottled water, most are calorie free.

Put food into the water, but again, adjust the overall diet for the increased calories if necessary. You can float cheerios or some other such cereal. You can dice carrots and toss them in.

Feed vegetables that are high in water content. Cucumbers, celery (if they will eat it), or romaine lettuce (NEVER iceberg, too much cellulous) are some good choices.

In the summer months, freezes fruits and veggies into ice and give them as treats. Again, adjust the overall diet for the increase in calories if needed.

Ensure the water or water bowl isn't dirty. Pigs will turn up their nose to water that is gross or smells bad. Biofilm can accumulate in a dirty water dish also and can cause your pig to avoid drinking out of it. (the biofilm itself can also cause problems)

Soak pellets to increase hydration/water intake. Soaking them has a couple of benefits, 1. It causes them to swell allowing your pigs belly to feel fuller faster versus having to rely on them drinking water to get them to that state and 2. Obviously, this provides additional water in their diet.

My pig will drink water, BUT, the bowls are always empty.

Use tip proof bowls, if your pigs are outside and they tip over anything you try to use.

Get a kiddie pool and make sure there is fresh water put in there everyday.

If your pigs bowl is frequently empty when you return home, get a bigger bowl.

Scatter several bowls throughout your yard if you need to so there is easy access to fresh water at all times.

Put the water in a container sunk into the ground so that the pigs can't crush or smash it up.

Add concrete to the underside of your water bowls to make them much heavier so it is more difficult for your pig to tip.

These automatic waterer/nipples can be found at Tractor Supply Stores or Amazon.com

Jenn Namm Allen shared her brilliant water bowl secret...concrete! Pig parents have to be creative sometimes and this is a GREAT idea. Mix concrete as the bag instructs you to do and add that to the underside of the water bowl of your choosing. Allow it to dry and harden and then you have a water bowl that takes a much more energy to "flip" over. This will not necessarily eliminate the possibility because a determined pig will find a way to tip it over, but this will definitely help. ​

Photo: pigfarming.net

Ensuring your pig has access to water at all times is key to preventing this devastating situation

Be sure to make appropriate accommodations in the summer and winter months. Use ice cubes or frozen fruit to add to the water bowl for the hotter months to keep the water cool and a heated water dish in the winter time for those pigs that are outside. Water deprivation doesn't only happen in the warmer months, it also happens in the cold months when water bowls are frozen and no fresh water is available.

There are two types of salt poisoning; both can be minimized by a constant supply of clean drinking water. Pigs have one of the worst systems of all animals to regulate salt/sodium-making water more important for them than most animals. Neither type is to be taken lightly. Death rates are high from this! Either, because the pig does not make it, or if they do they have suffered brain damage and must be put down. Both types are caused by “over drinking”, which happens when the pig drinks more water than the body can process which, in turn, causes the brain to swell. As the pigs become dehydrated, their electrolytes become unbalanced. Within 24 to 48 hours, the neurologic system begins to be affected. Pigs will act uncoordinated and appear blind, then demonstrate a behavior called head pressing. These clinical signs are not specific to dehydration. Meningitis, inner ear infections, and some exotic (and therefore reportable to the state veterinarian) swine diseases can also appear this way

Salt poisoning through diet: A little salt is needed for proper body function but any good pellet will have the correct amount already included. Those chips, that popcorn and other salty human treats? Well, one or two will not cause a problem as long as they have a water supply, but please find treats that are healthier overall. This problem is caused when your pig gets into something they should not like dog food or especially chicken feed. The salt makes them thirsty, they drink, and drink and they over drink.

Salt poisoning through dehydration/water deprivation: This is the major cause of salt poisoning! When your pig cannot or will not drink water it is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when. Again, clean fresh water should be available at all times. When they finally get water, they drink excessive amounts and that is what causes the neurological symptoms.

Symptoms:

Not eating.

Fits.

Wandering around apparently blind.

Nausea and vomiting.

Fever.

Tremors.

Diarrhea.

Increased thirst.

Decreased appetite.

Incoordination.

Coma.

Some pigs will press their heads against a wall and just stand there.

Nose twitching and possibly a convulsion to follow/seizure. Seizures can present in different ways. There are different degrees of severity when it comes to seizures, some have the classic type where they’re thrashing around and others may present more subtly such as a trance like state. Click here to read more about seizures in mini pigs.

Death.

Treatment: This is the same for either type of salt/sodium poisoning.

Take away all water.

Call and advise your vet of the situation. If possible, take them in for treatment. First, your veterinarian will want to remove as much excess salt as possible. This is accomplished by one or more of the following: inducing vomiting, gastric lavage, enema administration. What method(s) used to decontaminate depend on the patient's overall health, time after ingestion, and other clinical signs that may be present.Your vet will need to slowly rehydrate and correct any electrolyte imbalances. Your vet will want to monitor blood levels to correct the cellular shift caused by the salt. Your veterinarian may prescribe slow administration of Hypertonic Dextrose or Isotonic Saline solutions. Time is very important to the success of this treatment.

If you cannot immediately take them to a vet…………..

Immediately give them ¼ cup water (this is for your average size pig, 80 -120 pounds. You must adjust the amount for smaller pigs!!! Smaller pigs must get less water!!!) Do NOT give you pig as much water as they want to drink.

Continue this until the pig no longer shows interest or no longer drinks.

Wait an additional hour and then return to having a constant supply of fresh clean water available.

Brain damage caused by salt poisoning may or may not be permanent. This depends on how swollen the brain and how quickly it is returned to normal size.

WATER!!!! WATER!!!!! WATER!!!!

​The scientific explanation for water deprivation: The mechanism of toxicity of water deprivation and intoxication is related to electrolyte imbalance associated with dehydration. During the initial dehydration phase, there is an osmotic loss of water from the brain secondary to an increased blood sodium concentration. This is followed by an influx of ionic sodium, potassium, and chloride into the brain, which inhibits anaerobic glycolysis. When rehydration is delayed past the initial phase of dehydration, there is an influx or production of organic molecules, such as amino acids, polyols, and methylamines. These osmoles result in cell swelling upon rehydration. The osmotic differential cannot be equalized quickly enough to prevent edema of the brain.

04/04/2016

A recent event happened, which is why we created a page dedicated to salt toxicity/water deprivation.

Two pigs, indoors. Piggy parent leaves for an extended amount of time. Turns up the heat because its cold outside and they didn't want their pigs to be cold. Fast forward to 8-10 hours later, parents get home, notice the water bowls are empty, perhaps tipped the bowl or drank it all, so the bowls were refilled. Pigs were extremely thirsty, so the bowls were filled again. Not too long after that, the neurological symptoms started to show. Both pigs were seen by a local farm vet, given anti-seizure meds and an antibiotic shot. Sunday, they weren't doing any better, continuing to seize and now not eating or drinking, another local vet stabilized then and they were rushed to a university vet clinic where they currently still are. The initial thought was exposure to some kind of toxin, but blood work soon revealed excessive sodium in the blood stream pointing to salt toxicity. Both are currently blind, their fate is till unknown, but the prognosis isn't good. This was obviously an accident. This pig parent would've NEVER done anything to hurt these pigs, but this is the type of situation that you need to be on the lookout for.

Use tip proof bowls, if your pigs are outside and they tip over anything you try to use, get a kiddie pool and make sure there is fresh water put in there everyday. If your pigs bowl is frequently empty when you return home, get a bigger bowl. Scatter several bowls throughout your yard if you need to so there is easy access to fresh water at all times. Pigs can't sweat like people, therefore, the sodium that people can excrete? Pigs cannot do that. They must flush it out another way. ALWAYS have fresh water available. NEVER give your pig massive amounts of fluids because situations like this can occur.

**04/08/16 updateUnfortunately, both Duke and Precious passed away after this tragic accident. Everyone is heartbroken, please let this serve as a lesson to everyone else....ALWAYS make sure your pig(s) have access to fresh water, inside or outside, especially if there will be an extended period of time in which you won't be able to check on them. Rest in paradise sweet angels.

To read more about things that have been found to be toxic to pigs, click here.

Sodium content in items

Clinical signs of salt toxicity are seen when:Approximately 1-1.5 grams of salt are ingested per pound of body weight.Or 2-3 grams of salt ingested per kilogram of body weight.*2-3 grams of salt = approximately 1/2 teaspoon.

Some things that you may not know are extremely high in sodium. Should your pig ingest one of these items, the potential increases for your pig to have symptoms of salt toxicity if fresh water is not readily available. Excessive salt has also been linked to strokes and ulcers. So, avoid it as much as possible for your pigs.

1. Playdough- Homemade or store bought.2. Rock salt- The type used on surfaces that get iced over in the winter. Pigs do not know this os bad for them, so they may try to lick it while its melting the ice, use pet safe products instead. 3. Baking soda- Some pigs get into cabinets and refrigerators while the piggy parents aren't home. If your pig should get the box of baking soda, again, if no fresh water is available, your pig could potentially have a less than desirable outcome.4. Water softeners- If you have a well versus city water, your water itself may contain larger amounts of sodium. Ask your delivery people to check your water or have your water tested to see how much sodium it actually contains. You may have to come up with alternative methods for your pigs water. 5. Activated charcoal- If this has been used to treat your pig after ingesting something else potentially toxic, now the concern is salt toxicity. Anytime activated charcoal is used, your pig should also see a vet, so be sure the sodium levels aren't high while you're there.6. Table salt- Again, pigs and cabinets without locks can sometimes be a bad combination. Or, maybe someone let the salt shaker out within your pigs reach. No fresh water available + ingestion of sodium rich items can lead to salt poisoning. 7. Salt dough is used, mainly around Christmas time, to make ornaments that can be baked in the oven to harden. This is made from salt. The obvious common denominator is the potential for salt poisoning if your pig eats this and there is no fresh water readily available.​8. Sea water ingestion- Ocean water is salt water, so if your pig loves the ocean, always have fresh water available as well for your pig to drink.9. Paint balls- They contain high amounts of sodium. Not that it is expected that your pig will be eating paint balls, but this is just in case your pig does. 10. Himalayan Salt Lamps- This is actually a lamp made from pure salt and used in homes to reduce mold and are natural negative ion generators. So, if you have one of these on a table where your pig could potentially access it, move it higher or get rid of it. If your pig decides to knock it down and begins licking it, without fresh water available, your pig could get salt poisoning.

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All information was collected and/or written by the creators of the website unless otherwise noted. If you have any questions or would like to reach out to us, please email us at minipiginfo@gmail.com or via our Facebook page by clicking here. Feel free to share the links to the website, that is why it was created. This website does NOT take the place of your veterinarian's advice. Please seek emergency veterinarian care if your pig is sick or injured!!